Change.....almost all of us want it. We're promised it every time elections come about by both parties, but how much have we really been given? How much better have things gotten in the past 2 years, in the past 6, in the past 10? We continually get promised things will get better by voting for one candidate or another, or a particular party of their 2 party system, and what good does it do us? What good did it do the scores of elderly that had to turn to employment at fast food restaurants to be able to survive on their fixed incomes? What good did it do for the millions of college graduates who work multiple jobs to be able to live and pay down their student loan debt? What good did it do for the teachers who had to turn to public assistance programs to be able to feed themselves when teaching was once a sustainable career field? What good did it do for the common workers who may have full time employment, but are worked to the bone day in and day out without regard for their physical and mental health? What good did it do for any of us?
We've been continually promised change, yet time and time again we've been given just a taste of it. We've been given just enough to give us the illusion that things will truly get better. We've been given just enough to pacify us when we come together and demand something better. We've been promised genuine change through retaining faith in a system that has given us more than enough reasons to completely walk away from it. It's been shown that the vast majority of Americans are in favor of allowing a third party to their current two party system. Some may say there are already alternate parties, but how true can this be if any one of these much smaller parties never truly stand a chance in the political arena when pitted against their ruling class counterparts? What's more, many of these substantially smaller parties actually receive contributions and funding from either one of the two parties of the ruling class. In that context, can they accurately be considered alternatives?
What potential for change do we then have if we have no true alternative? Must we continue to endure the endless shallow promises of change that flow so readily from the establishment parties? Will there be a candidate who is given the opportunity to represent the will of the masses in whole heartedness and be allowed to participate? Will there ever be a candidate who can stand with the common worker, who can stand with the educators, who can stand with the poor and marginalized? The answer is no, if you seek such a candidate from either of the ruling class' parties. There will be none since they all have significant affiliations with those parties themselves. They all stand on their soap boxes and preach to the workers and the poor, but at the end of the day go home to their posh houses and enjoy luxuries few of us have the privilege of enjoying.
I am a worker, I am among those who long to enjoy a life of comfort and not have to rely on public assistance programs to be able to feed my children and my family. I am among those who are considered the working poor, I am among those who toil with the hopes and dreams of seeing true change come about in their lifetimes. I am a radical, radical in the sense that my perception of social issues is so drastically different than what's presented by those of the 2 party system it cannot be comprehended by them. I am a revolutionary, in that being my view of capitalist social structure is one that is detrimental for society as a whole. My view is far apart from the norm, and something unknown to many and as such it is revolutionary. Does me being a radical revolutionary serve as a threat to any? In short the answer is no, it has no affiliation with any religious belief or any concept or perception that can be used in the oppression of the masses or any one particular group, ethnicity, or faith.
My view brings questions to the elite that they have no true answer for, and highlights problems that they cannot provide solutions for. They may have presented temporary solutions to a limited few of the issues that millions face, but these solutions are simply temporary, and have come at significant cost to institute. Let's take for example the illusionary perception that due to the tax legislation passed there have been thousands that have regained their employment since the economy has revitalized a significant degree. This is only partly true, as the legislation simply allowed businesses more profit to be retained after the passage of it. They had been given the ability to put more cash in their pockets, and for that reason, and that reason alone, allowed workers that had been laid off to return to work. Do we really believe that had they not been allowed to keep more for themselves they would have let the workers come back to work?
They don't care about us, and it makes no difference on which side of the political spectrum you fall, we're seen as beneath them. We're viewed with such contempt that we're seen as disposable sources of labor and profit for them. They try to relate to us however they can simply so we pull the lever, or click the choice onscreen and keep them in their positions. When was the last time you had any candidate from either party, whether Democrat or Republican ask any one of us in what areas we were struggling in? Have any of them held town hall meetings to hear what we needed, what areas we hoped and wished would get better for us? They only want to hear our voice when we show them that we're dissatisfied with something, or a significant aspect of one of the many social issues becomes too much for us to bear. That's the only time they truly want to hear us and that's simply to make us believe they'll work for a solution to the issue we aren't pleased with. Even then, after those times have they actually given us a solution that significantly makes a legitimate difference in the long run, and is a completely viable solution for the issue we have become incensed about?
They have no solutions, they have no ideas that can benefit us as a whole, and to me, that makes them in no way capable of being adequate representatives of the people. What we need are those who understand how the workers struggle because they struggle the exact same way, what we need are those who go through the same trials and tribulations as those who work multiple jobs to survive, who have to rely on public assistance programs to be able to feed their families. We desperately need a genuine and legitimate voice that understands all the issues we face and speaks for us all collectively.
Richard Trotsky
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